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Help
needed in unauthorized practice of law violation

The
Iowa Supreme Court Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law is asking
ISBA members to contact the commission if they have any knowledge of Kiara
Jayne Eppinga’s advertising of divorce and marriage services, or Eppinga Legal
Service.

On
June 6, 2014, Chief Judge Duane Hoffmeyer of the Third District of Iowa issued
a permanent injunction against Eppinga enjoining her from the advertising of
legal services and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law within Iowa.

Eppinga,
a non-lawyer, advertised her "marriage and divorce” services through her
website and a Facebook page. In her advertisements she noted that because she
was both an ordained minister and a former legal assistant she could "officiate
your wedding or help you end a marriage with divorce….”

According
to the complaint filed by the Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law,
Eppinga was charging $200 for a "standard divorce” with additional fees for
in-person consultations. She was also filing dissolution documents for
individuals in Buena Vista and Humboldt counties using the EDMS system.

Anyone
who sees evidence of this violation of the unauthorized practice of law should
contact the UPL Commission at UPL@iowacourts.gov.

August is open enrollment for new ISBA
vision plan

Members who want to take advantage of a new
vision plan the ISBA has worked out with Reynolds & Reynolds, Inc., its
endorsed healthcare provider, need to act fairly quickly. Open enrollment is
from Aug. 1-31. Members
not enrolling during the month of August will have to wait until the next open
enrollment period in 2015.

Highlights
of the plan, which is being offered through DeltaVision of Iowa, include: Competitive
rates, comprehensive exam and eyewear benefits, choice of independent and
retail providers and DeltaVision top notch customer service and support,
according to officials at Reynolds & Reynolds.

A
more complete explanation of the new plan for individuals and groups can be
found here (click here to find a vision provider). A listing of the
benefits, including co-pays, can be found at this link. The application
form is available here.

Is law school like an undervalued
stock?

The
author of the "Moneybox” column in the online magazine, Slate, thinks so. He
was quoted in a recent article in the ABA Journal’s Law News Now as saying that
for individuals "who really do dream of becoming a lawyer,” it’s a good time to
think about law school.

Jordan
Weissmann looks at an investment in law school the way people look at an
investment in the stock market. "Right now,” he says, "law school looks like a
stock that crashed too far after a panic, and is suddenly a bit undervalued.”

Read
the full article here. It also contains
links to additional articles, including the Moneybox column that is cited in
the ABA Journal posting.

Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference
scheduled for August

Judges
of the Eighth Circuit have assembled more than 42 presenters for the 2014
Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference scheduled for Aug. 6-8 at the Hilton Omaha
Hotel in downtown Omaha, Neb. A broad range of civil, criminal, bankruptcy and
specialty practice topics will be covered.

This
full bench-bar conference is held in conjunction with the Nebraska Supreme
Court, the Nebraska and Iowa state bar associations, the Eighth Circuit Bar
Association and the Omaha Bar Association. All attorneys are cordially invited
and encouraged to attend.

The
deadline for hotel registration is July 11, and online conference registration
will close July 25. For more details, download the conference flyer, or visit the conference webpage to register.

Readership
survey closed, results to be analyzed

The
2014 Iowa State Bar Association Readership Survey closed last week and the
results are scheduled to be published in an upcoming issue of the Iowa Lawyer magazine. The
staff of The Iowa State Bar Association appreciates the time taken by members
to complete the survey.

More
than 600 members responded to the survey, which ran from late May until Jun 30.
The survey consisted of eight questions relating to ISBA communication methods
and preferences and five optional demographic questions. The intent of the
survey is to ascertain whether current communication methods are effective and
providing member value, as well as to capture comments and suggestions.

The
results of this survey may be the impetus for future communication changes
within the association. Members who were not able to participate in the survey
but have questions, suggestions or comments may email the communications
department at communications@iowabar.org. All submissions are
taken into consideration.

July
18 is the deadline to register online for the 2014 YLD Justice Fore All Golf
(Central) outing. This year’s event will be held Thursday, July 24, at Otter
Creek Golf Course in Ankeny.

The
outing is a four-person, best-ball event with a shotgun start at noon. A boxed
lunch is provided starting at 11:30 a.m., and a reception and awards ceremony
takes place as soon as all golfers are finished.

Profits
earned through player fees and hole sponsorships support the programs and
activities of the ISBA’s Public Service Project, which works to promote access
to justice throughout the state.

Online
registration is available here. Questions about the
event should be directly to Jay Syverson at jpsyverson@nyemaster.com or 515-645-5510.

Newsletter to take a summer vacation

This
Iowa Lawyer Weekly newsletter will be taking a week’s summer vacation starting
next week. There will be no July 16 issue, unless news significantly important
to members occurs between now and next Wednesday.

The
newsletter will resume publication on Wednesday, July 23.

Also,
there likely will be no supreme court decisions in the newsletter for the
next several weeks. The Iowa Supreme Court began its summer administrative term
on July 1. The court will resume reviewing and deciding on cases Sept. 1.

The Iowa Lawyer Weekly is an electronic newsletter published
every Wednesday. Please submit comments, letters to the editor, articles, or
photos, to communications@iowabar.org.
Contact information should be included with submissions. The ISBA reserves the
right to refuse any submission, but will take all submissions into
consideration for future publication.

Did You Know...

you
can receive price breaks on office supplies including computers and printers,
furniture, cleaning supplies and even promotional items such as pens, mugs,
hats, etc., through Staples? The ISBA is part of the Staples Advantage program
that makes discounts on commonly used items in the law practice available to
members. Contact Renee via email at Renee.Dunatchik@staples.com, or via phone at
800-693-9900, Ext. 24729 for more information.

Benefit of the Week

ISBA CLE Season PassReceive
all of your CLE credits by using The Iowa State Bar Association’s
affordable CLE Season Pass. It’s the one and only pass that offers
hundreds of CLE credits at the best price in town! For only $550, you
can take all the CLE credits you need in a 12 month span. Sign up for
the Season Pass todayand have the opportunity to choose from over 200
hours of live CLEs in addition to the 20 hours of telephone CLEs the
ISBA offers.